Department of Commerce
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
- Office of Law Enforcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 5, 2007

SPECIAL AGENT-IN-CHARGE ANDREW COHEN RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS NOAA ADMINISTRATOR’S AWARD FOR 2007

Andrew Cohen, Special Agent-in-Charge for the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Office of Law Enforcement was recognized at a ceremony at NOAA Headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. Sept. 27.

Cohen and seven other NOAA employees received the award for their role in implementing regulatory programs for the conservation and management of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLRs) – in particular, the Patagonian toothfish, more commonly known as Chilean sea bass, an increasingly rare, highly prized, cold water fish vulnerable to wholesale poaching by high-seas pirates.

Hired by NOAA in 1987 as a special agent, Cohen moved up the ranks and was promoted to the Special Agent-in-Charge position for the Northeast Division in 2003. Prior to NOAA, Cohen was a National Park Service ranger.

In 2004, Cohen was appointed to the U.S. Delegation to the Antarctic Marine Living Resources Treaty. The Delegation implemented a permit system for U.S. harvesters and dealers which allowed NOAA to regulate who was participating in the trade; regulations for new and exploratory fisheries by any U.S. fishing vessels, procedures for ecosystem monitoring, and an enforcement framework to ensure compliance by U.S. and foreign businesses seeking to import toothfish. The development and implementation of a Catch Documentation Scheme allows NOAA Fisheries to track the trade of Chilean sea bass from the harvesting vessel to the United States.

Cohen led several successful criminal prosecutions and catch forfeitures which have resulted in lengthy prison terms, and million of dollars in fines and penalties. In addition, the cases have resulted in novel terms of settlement being implemented against foreign fleets, such as mandatory vessel monitoring, reporting of potential illegal activity by other vessels and mandatory electronic catch documentation.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.